


Old Friends

by starrnobella



Series: 24 days of starrnobella [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 24 days of starrnobella, Advent Calendar, Christmas Countdown, Christmas Shopping, Dragons, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-14 02:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12997392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrnobella/pseuds/starrnobella
Summary: A simple shopping trip for the perfect Christmas gift accidentally reunites two old friends.





	Old Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GaeilgeRua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeilgeRua/gifts).



> A/N: One of my favorite stories from last year's collection was my Charmione story called Meet My Friends. I will say it was my favorite because it involved baby dragons. I couldn't allow another collection to slip through my fingers and not bring back my dragon friends.
> 
> I will say that this story could very easily lead into last year's story. However that was not my original intention with this story, it kind of just happened.
> 
> This story was prompted by the wonderful GaeilgeRua and was beta read by the also wonderful xxDustNight88.
> 
> All of the usual disclaimers apply. I don't write for profit and I certainly don't own any of these characters. J. K. Rowling is a wonderful human being for supporting fanfiction and allowing authors to express themselves with the help of her characters and the world she created.
> 
> If you are interested in checking out my other works or keeping up with me in general, I have an author's page on Facebook that you can check out (starrnobella Fanfiction) as well as a group (starrnobella Fanfiction Friends & Fans) that I am very active in on a daily basis. I'm also on tumblr (starrnobella) that you can follow along with me as well.
> 
> Title: Old Friends  
> Pairing: Charmione  
> Rating: K  
> Summary: A simple shopping trip for the perfect Christmas gift accidentally reunites two old friends.
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Love always,
> 
> ~starr

Wandering along the cobblestones in a small village just outside of Romania, Hermione was looking for the perfect present to send home to her mum and dad for the upcoming holiday. As she shopped, she noticed the hustle and bustle going on around her.

This village was so full of life and holiday spirit. It warmed her heart to see people so full of love and cheer after seeing the destruction left behind after the Wizarding War. After graduating from Hogwarts, she had gone onto University and enrolled in the study abroad program. The program itself had opened her eyes to things she had never imagined.

She shook her head, pushing the sad images aside. She needed to focus on the task at hand and couldn't allow herself to be distracted. As she exited yet another shop, she ran straight into shopper who was on their way inside.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Hermione said as she fumbled with her bag before lifting her eyes to meet those of the stranger she had run into just then. Taking a step back and looking up at him, she smiled when she realized that she recognized the man standing in front of her. "Charlie?"

"Hermione!" Charlie exclaimed, stepping in to embrace her quickly before stepping back and slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. "Don't apologize. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going."

"I wasn't paying attention either," she replied with a laugh. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you since last Christmas! And sometimes letters just aren't enough to keep up with how someone is doing."

"I'm doing alright, how about you? What are you doing in Romania?" he asked, curiously. A playful smile was tugging at his lips. It was nice seeing an old friend that he didn't get to spend much time with.

"I'm doing research for grad school, actually," Hermione replied, reaching out to touch him gently on the arm. "I can't believe I ran into someone I actually know during this trip. Although, I should have guessed it would happen when I found out this was the next place I got to study."

Charlie laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess this place is well known to friends of my family. What are you researching?"

"The care of magical creatures in different countries," Hermione said, pausing momentarily and laughing to herself. "So I guess I would have ended up speaking with you anyways when I needed to do some research about the dragons. How are the dragons? Any new babies?"

Her excitement was adorable and it made Charlie smile. She had always been a talkative one and she was a fast talker at that. Whenever he would travel home to visit for the holidays and Hermione would be there, he would always be entranced by her, especially when she would talk about something she was passionate about. Magical creatures were always a favorite topic of her's. The two of them would spend hours at Christmas time talking about the dragons he worked with.

"The dragons are doing well. I'm sure they'd love a visit from their favorite bookworm. I know that Sasse has missed you since your last visit," Charlie hinted.

"She has?" Hermione asked eagerly. "I've missed her too! I'd love to come and see them before I leave again. If that's okay with you, that is."

"Of course that's fine with me," Charlie laughed. "I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't okay."

"Are you sure Newt won't mind if I stop by? I know how much he prefers working without interruptions," Hermione said, nervously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Newt has missed you too, I'm sure. After you left the last time, he went on for a few days about how nice it was to talk to someone who cared about the creatures as much as the two of us did. And that it was nice to know that someone was interested in doing whatever they could to make changes to the way that the laws that governed the rights of these creatures," Charlie replied.

"Well, if that's the case…" Hermione said, worrying her bottom lip momentarily. "When can I stop by the reservation?"

Charlie pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked down at his wrist to check the time. Looking back up at Hermione and seeing her smiling face, he smiled back at her. "Would you like to head back with me now?"

Quickly, she nodded her head up and down. "My shopping can wait. Mum and Dad won't be getting it until I'm back home anyways," she said eagerly. "I can't wait to see the dragons."

"They can't wait to see you either, I'm sure," Charlie replied. Offering up his arm for her to hold on to, he smiled when she slipped her arm through the offered opening. "Ready to apparate?"

"Let's go," she replied happily and soon they were off.

A few moments later, they arrived just outside of the reservation. Hermione looked around at her surroundings. She was in heaven when she saw all the magical creatures roaming around freely without a care in the world. This was how these creatures were meant to live, not trapped in cages and forced to live in captivity for the rest of their days.

She understood why with some of these creatures that it was better for them to be kept in captivity, but if that was the case then they needed to live in a place like Newt and Charlie's reservation. The creatures were kept in a specific area, but they were also provided with everything that they needed to survive. In other captivities, the creatures were never given what they needed and some of them were left to die. The thoughts saddened her, but at the moment her heart was full of joy.

"Ready to take a walk around?" Charlie asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at him and the smile on her face said it all. "Well, that picture speaks a million words, let's go."

The pair wandered off along the outer boundaries of the reservation. As they walked, they spoke about what had been going on in their lives since the last time they had spoken face to face. Letters were great, but there was only so much that one could write before it was time to send the letter off and wait for a reply.

It was as though they hadn't spent a day apart. The conversation followed easily and everything was simple. After all of the destruction that Hermione had left behind, it was comforting to know that there were people in the world who could discuss things other than the war in a conversation.

"It looks like Sasse's hiding in the back somewhere," Charlie said as they neared the other dragons. He looked around a little more hoping to spot Sasse's tail or a wing or something that would indicate where the playful dragon was hiding.

"Maybe she's sleeping," Hermione suggested with a shrug as she looked around starry-eyed at the sites around her. Dragons soaring through the air, flying through the air without so much as a care in the world. It was so nice to see them in their natural habitat living happy and fancy free. She didn't think there was anything else in the world better than the view she had right this second. She sighed contently as she walked closer to one of the dragons who was laying on the ground a few feet in front of her.

Charlie just watched as she placed a tentative hand on the dragon. The dragon slowly lifted his head to look at who was touching him. Normally Biadientar didn't let anyone get that close to him, well anyone other than Newt. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he couldn't blame the dragon.

Biadientar had had a rough life. From what Charlie could remember Newt telling him, Newt had saved him from a terrible situation. It caused the dragon to prefer the solitude of being left alone. Although as Charlie watched him interact with Hermione he was amazed at just how calm the dragon was remaining at the time. She really did have a way with animals.

"You know, Hermione, after you graduate, you should consider coming to work here with Newt and I. The creatures love you and I wouldn't mind spending more time with you," Charlie suggested, stepping near Biadientar and placing a hand on his neck, eliciting a snort from the dragon.

"I wouldn't mind spending some more time with you either," she replied, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear with a smile.


End file.
